It's official: Jackson, Evans named TUF 10 coaches

NEW YORK -- Former UFC light heavyweight champions "Suga" Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will serve as coaches for Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter," which premiers Sept. 16 at 10 p.m., UFC president Dana White announced today. This season will showcase 16 heavyweights, the first time this weight class has been featured on "The Ultimate Fighter" since Evans was a cast member on Season 2.

In May 2005, Evans stepped into the UFC training facility as an unknown novice in the heavyweight division for Season 2 of "The Ultimate Fighter." Four years later, he returns to Las Vegas as a coach for a new crop of aspiring heavyweights.
This season marks the second time the charismatic Jackson will served as a coach for "The Ultimate Fighter." He opposed Forrest Griffin as a coach for Season 7 last April.

"The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights" will feature the two fan favorites coaching the best up and coming mixed martial artists in the heavyweight division. Two finalists will square off in a live finale Dec. 5 in Las Vegas with the winner being declared "The Ultimate Fighter" and netting a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the premier mixed martial arts organization in the world.

Production on "The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights" begins in Las Vegas in early next month and will last six weeks. The series will again be hosted by White.

"The 10th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" is going to be the most highly anticipated one in years, and with two of the greatest pound for pound fighters in the world today, both of which have personalities as large as their skill-sets, it promises to deliver," said White.

A native of Niagara Falls, N.Y., Evans was an All-State wrestler in high school before moving on to Michigan State University, where he competed in the 174-pound weight class. Shortly after graduating, Evans burst onto the mixed martial arts scene by capturing the heavyweight title on Season 2 of "The Ultimate Fighter."

He has since moved down to light heavyweight, and, under the tutelage of Greg Jackson, compiled a stellar record in the UFC against some of the top competition in the world, including wins against Stephan Bonnar, Michael Bisping, and a vicious knockout of Chuck Liddell.

The win against Liddell cemented Evans' place as an elite light heavyweight, and earned him a title shot at UFC 92 against Griffin, who won "The Ultimate Fighter," Season 1 light heavyweight. Evans made the most of his opportunity, using solid ground-and-pound skills to capture the 205-pound title with a third-round TKO of Griffin.

Evans would lose the title last Saturday at UFC 98 in Las Vegas. He was knocked out in the second rounds by Lyoto Machida, but is eager to get back in the mix and reclaim his belt.

A native of Memphis, Tenn., who trains in Liverpool, England, at Wolfslair Academy, Jackson is one of the most complete fighters in the UFC. An All-State wrestler in high school, Jackson made his UFC debut in February 2007, stopping Marvin Eastman in the second round.

The victory earned him a title shot against Liddell, and a little over 3 minutes into the first round of their bout at UFC 71, Jackson won the light heavyweight title with a combination of strikes that caused the fight to be stopped. Jackson put his newly acquired title on the line against PRIDE champion Dan Henderson at UFC 75, and won a grueling five-round decision to become undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world.

In his next fight, he would loss the belt to Griffin at UFC 86. Jackson has since defeated longtime nemesis Wanderlei Silva via KO at UFC 92 and Keith Jardine at UFC 96 to put him in line for another title shot.